In the wake of the report that the mother of late Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown wants Josh Brent to ride with her and sit with the family during Brown’s funeral, chilling details of what allegedly occurred at the crime scene are beginning to emerge.

‘Had to be coerced’

Eyewitness Stacee McWilliams was on her way from celebrating her birthday when she came upon the crash scene. McWilliams tells the Dallas Morning News that Brent had to be coerced to attempt to rescue Brown from the burning vehicle.

“The person that was in the other vehicle stepped out of her car and she said ‘I’ve already called 9-1-1, they’re on the way’… But it took no time at all for this fire to really get engaged… I started to hear screams coming from inside the vehicle and it was a man’s voice… I turned and looked at the gentleman in the black pants (Brent), and I said ‘Is there a passenger? Is there somebody in the car?’. And he said ‘Yeah’. And I told him ‘Well, get him out of the car’.”

‘Eligible for forgiveness’

McWilliams returned to her vehicle to retrieve her phone and when she returned, Brent had pulled the passenger (Brown) from the fiery wreck.

Few would regard Brent as a hero. The bottom line is that he made the decision to drive after consuming alcohol, a decision that resulted in the death of his close friend and teammate, Jerry Brown, and the end to what was a promising football career for himself, which will now be replaced by a prison sentence of up to 20 years and a lifetime of regret over what he has done. Brent is eligible for forgiveness, though, and the Brown family is doing just that.

What do you think really happened in this fatal accident? Do you believe all the things that this eyewitness is saying?

Episcopal priests will be allowed to conduct services blessing same-sex relationships under a policy approved Tuesday at the church’s national convention in Indianapolis.

‘Not considered a marriage ceremony’

The convention’s House of Bishops approved the provisional policy 111-41 with three abstentions Monday, clearing it for consideration by the House of Deputies, which approved it Tuesday evening. The policy was approved in the House of Deputies, following more than an hour of debate, by 78% of the voting lay members and by 76% of clergy.

The service is not considered a marriage ceremony, media affairs representative Nancy Davidge said: “We have authorized a blessing, and a blessing is different than a marriage,” she said. “A blessing is a theological response to a monogamous, committed relationship.”

‘Three-year trial run’

Marriage requires the additional involvement of civil authorities, and many states do not allow gays to marry. The Episcopal policy calls for a three-year trial run of the blessing service, which is called “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant.” It will be accompanied by a review process leading up to the church’s next annual convention in Salt Lake City. It’s then that church leaders would decide whether to make the policy permanent, church media affairs representative Neva Rae Fox said.

The policy, which has been in development since 2009, allows local bishops to decide whether to allow the service. It also includes a provision stating that clergy members who object to same-sex unions cannot be coerced to perform the blessing, or be disciplined for refusing.

Are you in favor of this same-sex blessing service? What is your view regarding same-sex unions? Feel free to share your thoughts with us!